Day 10 – Tokyo & out

Our last day in Japan was laid back and not eventful. We had breakfast at the hotel and checked out at 10am leaving our bags at one of the lockers at Tokyo station. You can pay ¥1,000 at the lockers that come in different sizes for almost all kinds of bags.

We took the JR loop line to Shibuya Station to see the busiest crossing in the world.

Shibuya Crossing

A center for youth fashion and culture, Shibuya’s streets are the birthplace to many of Japan’s fashion and entertainment trends. The most prominent landmark of Shibuya is the large intersection in front of the station’s Hachiko Exit. Decorated by neon advertisements and giant video screens, the crossing gets flooded by pedestrians each time the crossing light turns green, making it a popular photo and movie filming spot.

Just cross the street from Shibuya Station and go to the first floor Starbucks that has a viewing area for the best views of the crossing.

Harajuku

A 20 minute walk from Shibua crossing brings you to the Harajuku area, referred to as Tokyo’s Champs-Elysees. The main street you want to walk across is Takeshita Dori, which is a symbol of Harajuku and birthplace of many of Japan’s fashion trends. A narrow, roughly 400 meter long street is lined by shops, boutiques, cafes and fast food outlets targeting Tokyo’s teenagers. Because of the street’s popularity, it becomes extremely busy and crowded on the weekends.

After spending about an hour here, we took the JR Yamamoto line to Tokyo station, where we picked up our bags and headed to Tokyo Narita airport via the Narita Express train.

Costs

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = JPY 100. Each cost is for one adult.